F
or five years Louis Tikaram has been
dreaming of an Australian Christmas- a laidbackdaythatplaysoutinthe
freshair.“That’swhatI missedmost
beingintheUS– Christmasnotbeinginthe
summer,”saystheformerexecutivechefofthe
LosAngelesAsian-fusionhotspot,E.P.&L.P.
TikaramreturnedtoAustraliainJuly,with
wifeJorjaanddaughterMaëlle,intimetowelcome
daughternumbertwo,Colette.Andif thedemands
ofa transcontinentalmoveandnewbornweren’t
enough,on1 November,heopenedStanley,a
striking,two-storeyCantoneserestaurantbordering
theBrisbaneRiver.Now, he’shangingoutforfestive
downtimeandthechancetogiveMaëlleand
Colettea tasteofwhatChristmasis reallyabout.
DescribingStanleyasmodernCantonese-Asian,
hesaysdinerscanexpectCantonese-styledishes
fullofold-schoolflavour,butcreatedwitha
contemporarysensibility.Housedinheritagedigs
at Brisbane’sHowardSmithWharves,Stanleyhas
a widealfrescodeckfordimsum,andinteriors
retro-styledwithbamboofretwork-linedwalls,
parquetryfloorsandcustomfabrics.Namedafter
HongKong’sfamedStanleybeach,therestaurant
focusesheavilyonseafood.Youcanreelinanything
fromliveMoretonBaybugsandsevenversions
ofmudcrab,tosteamedwholegrouper.
Butit’sthebarbecuesectionthathasTikaram
firedup.“Thetimeandlabourit takestoexecute
barbecueat thislevelis considerable,”hesays.
ClassicPekingduckandroastduckbothmakethe
cut,andpreparationfortheformertakesfivedays.
Mostproducecomesfromwithina 100kmradius.
“I knewI’dbespoiledforchoice– thevegetables,
theseafood,thepork, eventhebeef.It’samazing.”
GrowingupinruralNorthernNS W,Tikaram’s
childhoodChristmaseswerespentcatchingwaves
withhisbrotherandeatingmangoes.“I guess
wewerebothhigh-maintenancekids,”helaughs.
Theflavour-forwarddishesat thisfestive
get-togethertakeinspirationfromTikaram’sbeloved
outdoors.They’redesignedtofuelgoodtimes
andmakefingerssticky.“It’sfoodtobeenjoyed
whileyou’redrinkingandhavingfun,”hesays.
Forthefirsttimein 16 years,Tikaramwillshare
Christmaswithhisparents,andthere’smuchto
begratefulfor.“ThatwecouldcometoBrisbane,
whichhasgrownintothisamazingfoodcity,and
beclosetowherewegrewup,meanswehavethe
bestofbothworlds.It’stheperfectendtothe
year,beingabletocelebratewithfamily.”
Stanley,HowardSmithWharves,5 BoundarySt,
Brisbane,Qld,(07) 3558 9418,stanleyrestaurant.com.au
Right: chef Louis Tikaram
(from left) with baby
Colette, Mäelle and
Jorja. Below: Tikaram
at Stanley. PREVIOUS
PAGES Left: Howard
Smith Wharves executive
chef Patrick Friesen (from
left) and his partner Dr
Jessica Jellins (seated),
Tikaram, Colette, Mäelle
and Jorja.106 GOURMET TRAVELLER